Chapter 4

NOTE: Short chapter, sorry. PLEASE answer the polls... thanks :)

Clary's POV

The voice hadn't spoke to me again. And when I woke up from a sleep that I didn't know I needed, food was set on a white platter. It was pizza, with an apple. There was also a flimsy plastic water bottle. I noted that there was no hard plate, and no utensils. I ate the food, feeling ravenous.

But what I wasn't expecting was a bottle of lotion.

Did they really mean for me to keep my hands in shape?

I squeeze down on the bottle, and a squirt of white comes out. It smells of cherry blossom.

Use it. Keep your hands moist. They ordered, so being the person that I am, I continued to wipe it off on the ground. A small amount of victory wiggle its way into my chest. Of all the things I wanted to control, like where I went, putting on lotion was one choice I could actually make. And I was making it.

Alec's POV

"Are you better? That took a lot of energy from you."

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Alexander." I found that he used my whole name when he wasn't in a bad mood, not that he was particularly good mood. I set a glass of water down on the side table next to his chair in his apartment. "Was that how you were like?"

"What?" I asked.

"When I was missing. Was that how you looked?" His expression was mixed with curiosity and a little pity. "Jace looked already torn to pieces, and it hasn't even been two hours."

"Yeah." I nodded. "That's pretty much how it went."

"If you want to be with you parabati, I understand. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. But I also know Jace. He'll battle with himself until he doesn't care anymore, and then he'll get drunk and end up beating up a downworlder, probably a werewolf, and I'll have to come in and settle it. But that happens around two in the morning, so I've got time. But then again, this kind of thing has never happened before."

Magnus chuckles low. "One day, if I'm lucky enough, I wish for you to have me figured out down to a tee."

"I already do," I whisper. "Oh, and I found Chairman Meow in the alley again."

"Unfaithful bastard." Magnus grumbled.

"It would help if you stopped traumatizing him, you know. Just a little. You're even scaring the mice away."

"The cat can't process what it sees." He waved the comment away with his hand. "Plus, you always see those signs that require shirts and shoes, they never require pants. It isn't my fault that I'm following the rules."

I roll my eyes, and Magnus cracks a smile.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You just look so much like Gideon, when you do that."

"Who's Gideon again?"

"An old friend." Magnus said fondly, and I felt a little jealous. But I didn't let it show. It was stupid how jealous of Magnus I got. But it wasn't really about him, it was about everyone else. It's not like I could make everyone blind to him, and I'm sure it would humor Magnus to see my try. I was getting better though, we both were.

"What do you think we should do?"

"About Clary?" He asked.

"No, Magnus. About this weather, it's just terrible."

"You know, I'm not sure that you acquiring my dry humor is entirely a good thing."

"But do you think the clave will pay enough attention to it?" I returned to the subject.

"I don't know. They seemed pretty generous letting Jace and Clary move to Idris when lots of institutes could have used their help, but this matter is entirely different. I think they'll file it but I don't think that, until it starts affecting them as a whole, they'll start to take action."

"It'll drive Jace mad."

"Poor thing." Magnus mused. "He loves her so."

"I know." I wondered off into a time when I used to be angry with Clary whenever she walked into a room that Jace was in. Jace's eyes would light up, and follow her around like she was a once-in-a-lifetime view of the stars.

Isabelle's POV

The tests were negative.

I tried to search in myself, some part of me that was disappointed, and maybe I was a little, but I mostly felt relieved. I didn't need to deal with being pregnant while we went mad trying to find Clary. And Simon was very relieved, more than I was.

"It's negative Simon. You can stop hyperventilating."

"Oh." Simon breathed. "Oh thank god." He sat on my bed, which was a funny sight to see. A boy in black clothes sitting on a feathered pink comforter, with matching pillows.

"I know. But we can't let this happen again? Understand?" I look sharply at Simon.

"Well, it's not like I meant for it to." He gave me an eye roll.

"I know, but I don't need to deal with this while we figure out where Clary is. Okay?"

"Okay." He nodded. I don't think he realized that I had just told him no sex but I really don't think he would care.

"Is that my phone?" I wondered aloud as I heard a ringing.

"Um... yeah. Here it is." Simon tossed me the phone. The caller I.D read the name Jace. I picked it up.

"Jace?"

"Isabelle, I found something." His voice was urgent.

"You- what? You found something! What is it?" Simon looked at me curiously.

"It's a demonic symbol that was imprinted on the back of the building."

"Jace, people draw on buildings all the time..." My energy level lowered.

"No. This is different. It's a symbol of some sort. I can't place it though, I've never seen it. It's almost like the times when Clary draws new runes, it looks like a rune but you don't really know what it is until she tells you. I've put a memory rune on myself, so I can recall it. I'm coming to the institute."

"Okay, I'll see you in a minute." I hung the phone up and recited to Simon what Jace had said. His eyes got wide as I finished.

"Do you really think it's something?" He asks.

"I don't want to think Jace is crazy until he actually is, and I think he might be on to something. But the only problem I can think of is proving its significance. Gang members can draw stuff all the time."

"Yeah, but what are the chances that one would appear on the store, that not only demons came out of to take Clary, but one that had been raided by demons earlier?"

"Maybe the ichor was from a curious demon and the raiding was from humans who thought it was funny to leave a mark behind to show their power and symbol."

"How can you explain the demons that took Clary?"

"They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"Why are you down playing this? This could be something real."

"I know. I just don't want to get my hopes up, that's all.

"Okay, c'mon. We're meeting him in the kitchen because I'm starving."

Clary's POV

I couldn't tell the days anymore. My sleeping was messed up, but it had felt like I had been here a week. The food was the same over and over again. I puked twice after the last meal. I grew tired more often, and wondered if they had put a time spell on the room. Something to make the days go faster or slower.

Then all of a sudden, it hit me.

A huge stabbing pain right in the middle of my stomach.

I buckled over, my hands cradling it like I could help it in any way. My teeth gritted together, holding back gasps and screams. The white walls seemed to dance around me as I rolled onto my side. The pain was a blanket, smothering me, leaving nothing behind but a searing sting. I felt my breath leave me, and panicked as I couldn't breathe. My body began to jerk as the oxygen inside was being pulled away, farther and farther. I jerked up to see the bottle of lotion standing perfectly still, and decided that I needed it like it was a glass of water after a day of walking in the dessert.

My hand reached out to it, my thumb smoothed over the top of it and pressed creamy white liquid into my cupped palm. I didn't know how I knew what I was doing, I just did it. I smeared the lotion on my stomach, where a black spot had materialized. The pain went away, almost instantly, but I continued to rub it in. The whiteness of the lotion disappeared, and I felt better.

Better? The voice asked.

I didn't reply. I felt sick all of the sudden. What was I thinking? Of course they wanted me to use the lotion, I bet it wasn't even lotion! I mentally smacked myself for not thinking, regardless if I was in pain or not. Shadowhunters weren't supposed to do that, they were supposed to be wary of everything, even if it called out to them.

I flipped to my back, letting the pressure slide from my stomach. The room was quiet again, no voices, just my ragged breathing. It was times like these that I really did miss Jace. And Simon. And Izzy. And my parents. Magnus. And Alec, I even missed him too. But Jace hit me in a spot no one else could. It was a dull ache that threatened to choke me every now and then.

Jace's POV

I ran up the steps of the institute. Isabelle and Simon were in the kitchen, making sandwiches. If it were a different case, I would have commented on Izzy's horrible ability to screw up anything food related, but the words wouldn't come to me.

"Isabelle." I call to her and she jerks her attention to me.

"You're here!" She runs over to me.

"Get me a piece of paper, please." She pulls out a napkin and an old pen. Good enough. I draw the symbol on the napkin, shading it parts and making lines thicker. As I draw Simon comes to get a closer look.

"So this is it? The symbol you saw?"

"Yes. We need to take this to the clave. Right now. Get Magnus to draw a portal."

"Alec's with him, but Jace please sit for minute. You're sweaty." I look down at myself and see wet spots seeping through my shirt. My breathing is heavy, but I didn't think about anything but getting to the institute before the memory rune wore off.

"No, I'm fine."

"Do you really think they will listen? I mean, we've already reported the absence. I'm not saying that we shouldn't go, we should, but would it be worth it?"

"Robert has to listen." I shake my head. "He has to."

"You never know." There was small twinge of bitterness in Isabelle's voice. I didn't blame her.

"I'll call Alec. Transfer this onto a real piece of paper, will you Izzy?"

"Sure." She takes the napkin and walks off to find paper. Simon starts cleaning the kitchen, and I take out my phone. Alec answers on the first ring.

"Get Magnus and meet me at the institute." I say as a greeting.

"Okay." He hangs up, not questioning anything. That was one of the good things about Alec, once he trusted you, he trusted you completely.

I sit down on the chair and slow my breathing. I had called Jocelyn on the way, and she and Luke were on their way to the institute. Marse was away in Idris, so I guess we would meet her there.

It felt abnormal to sit here and do nothing. Simon had the kitchen cleaned, with the exception of a couple dishes. I contemplated on whether or not to help him, to have something to do, but I decided against it. I couldn't go to the training room, I just had to wait.

I don't want to wait. I thought angrily. If I did, I would start thinking about what happened. And while that was always on my mind, it still felt like a dream. I can't let it sink in, not yet. It had felt like days, but it's only been hours since I heard her scream my name, hours since I saw her carrying out the box of glass cups to set in our new house. Her red curls bouncing, spiraling around her shoulders. A light amused expression was on her face and...

Stop. I clench my fist. I bolted out of my chair and turned down the hallway.

The portal loomed over us and stuck onto the institute. Thousands of shades of blue swirled together with strips of white in between them to separate them. Everyone was here. Izzy passed the piece of paper to the others and they examined it.

"Is it familiar at all?"

"I've never seen it before," Luke says with a shake of his head. "It's not even a rune."

"It looks like something out of a human horror story. Like a sigil or something," Jocelyn explains. "But why would we find this and not a rune of some sort?" Nobody had an answer, and I didn't want to wait for one. I wanted to be in Idris right now, handing someone the piece paper. I wanted them to tell me that they knew exactly what it was, and then they could trace it back to whoever took Clary.

"Let's go," I encourage. I stepped through the portal first.

I stumble into Idris. The portal wasn't confirmed, and because of that, Lake Lyn stretched out before me. It shimmered in the high sun, like diamonds were floating on top of it. Trees higher than the buildings on New York climbed to the clouds. Six people tumbled in after me. I stopped Simon from falling as he burst through after Izzy, he wasn't good at these things.

We set out. I was ahead of the group. I couldn't help but feel alone in this, like all of them doubted me but they didn't have the heart to tell me. I didn't care. This symbol was a lead, and it was the only lead that we had so far. Another hour was another day for me, a minute was an eternity. I can't waste a second not looking for her.

Images flashed before me. There was nothing I could do to ward them off. Images of her bloody and broken. The Clary I loved wouldn't have slouched in defeat, she would have stood even if she knew that she would never live, but this Clary did. Sobs racked her small body that curled in a fetal position. My mind was making her smaller and weaker, therefore building up guilt and more guilt. She cried my name, the same cry that escaped her lips before they yanked her unconscious body through the portal. My breathing began to get heavy until Isabelle stuck a hand onto my shoulder.

"Hey. It's okay. This is a clue, okay? We're gonna follow this lead, and it will help us find Clary. And if it doesn't," I suck in a breath. "We will find another one, and follow that one. There isn't a single person out there that is being searched for more than her, okay? I'm sure once the council meeting gets over, my father will make it more of a priority."

I hung onto Isabelle's every word until we made it to Alicante. People let us through the wards and soon enough we were walking the familiar streets. I didn't look in the direction of our house, I couldn't.

We walked right up to Robert's house, the same one we took refuge in before Valentine died. We all stood in a group around the door, an odd sight. My fist pounded on the door, trying to channel my anger into the knock to release some. The door opened after thirty seconds of knocking.

"What?" Robert irritably answers the door. He is still dressed in his Council robes, his face hung in aging wrinkles and framed by greying hair. A look of surprise is slapped across his face as he sees his children, and others, standing in front of him.

"Robert. We need to talk to you." I was the first to speak.

"I already have your call, and I'm sorry. I really am, but can you please come back after I'm finished dealing with what the Council meeting left me."

"And what was that?" Isabelle asks curiously. She hasn't been talking much with her father, still mad about what had happened between him and her mother, and the questioned seemed to surprise him a little.

Robert shakes his head. "I can't say a word, not unless you have anything to do with it, and I'm sure you don't. Plus, it would be a burden you guys shouldn't have to bear at this time." A look of pity flashed across his face and he directs it towards me, but I ignore it. The door began to close, but I jammed my foot in it, startling him.

"This is serious. We have some kind of evidence." I unfold the paper. A part of me expects to be shot down, because of all the things that have happened in the past, but I show him the paper, throwing all of my confidence and hope into it. The sigil that I drew was copied onto the piece of paper by Isabelle's careful handwork. She wasn't an artist, but years of using runes would leave her capable of doing a good job. He takes it, his eyes widening. His lips part a little as he drinks in the image before him, his eyes scanning it like it's something he's seen before.

"Come in."